Monthly Archives: January 2016

When I was recording Nowhere Left To Hide, I started to feel my production was getting a bit stagnant. Scared Like Me, Exploring Tomorrow, Make It Rain and Beyond You are solid tracks but they’re very safe. I found myself getting into the same habits when making production choices.

I felt I wasn’t pushing myself enough and didn’t wanna record more of the same.

Then I went to Edinburgh with Tom Law and he took me to a jazz show (because he knows how to treat me right), and I was amazed four musicians could play a two-hour set using just a piano, saxophone, double bass and vocals and make the songs so varied and dynamic.

Thus, I decided it would be an interesting challenge to record an album with 100% real instruments – nothing electronic.

Epigrams and Interludes was mainly influenced by Lady Gaga, and Nowhere Left To Hide was influenced by Les Miserables; in the last twelve months I’ve been hugely influened by Ed Sheeran, who blew up with his album ‘X’ (which is great), and I was also inspired hearing Taylor Swift share her goal for ’1989′ to have a cohesive sound – to feel like an album, not just a collection of songs (which is something I’ve not done since Parrot Stories really).

So my first new track, Breathe Again, has only four instruments (in the spirit of that jazz show) but the total count for the album so far includes electric and acoustic guitar, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, harp, violin and saxophone.

I’ve only recorded four songs so far and it’s been incredibly collaborative. I usually work alone, playing every note myself (usually into MIDI keyboards) but for this, the violin will be played by a guy called Richard, the sax by a guy called Nathan, I have backing vocals done by a girl called Liliana, harp played by a girl called Scarlett, and even the album artwork will be designed by a girl called Robyn. Recording is taking place in London, Bristol and California. Again, it’s very different to how I do things normally and that’s exactly what I needed.

The name of the album is Split Infinities (I’ll explain why another time). Here’s the track list (not in order yet):

Breathe Again
All We Have Is Now
You Are Loved
More To Life
Where Is My Friend?
Can’t Get Enough
Learning How To Love
Overthinking
Comrades-In-Arms
‘Everything’

If I write anything great between now and then, it might change. Also, I put ‘Everything’ in those quotes cos I’m not super happy with that title but haven’t found a better one.

So that’s how things are going :) Looking to have the whole thing recorded by summer and the album promo beginning around October with lots of music videos!

Thanks for indulging me in reading this, you’re very kind. If you want some fantastic musicians to listen to, google Natalie Shay, Kate McGill, George Reece and Charlotte Campbell, they’re all brilliant, you won’t regret it.